Perseverance and insight into market conditions have paid off big for this 40-year-old farmer from the village of Kowdipally in medak.
The high price and lack of supply from Andhra Pradesh were a boon, helping it fill the gap in demand for tomatoes in the Hyderabad market. Produce from him reached over Rs 100 per kg when tomato prices reached the stratosphere.
Tomato yield to get more than Rs 2cr: T farmer
I grew tomatoes this season on eight acres starting April 15 and started receiving yield June 15. My product was grade A and the yield was substantial as I used netting to protect the crop from any weather related changes. Although there may be some crop loss due to excessive rain, my total income will easily exceed Rs 2 crore this season. I still have 40% of the harvest on my farm.”
Reddy, who has about 100 acres, started growing vegetables and tomatoes about four years ago on about 40 acres. The rest is still used for rice. “It took me some time to understand the correct methods, the profits will not come immediately after the first harvest.”
Explaining the economics of the tomato crop, he said, “I would invest Rs 2 lakh per acre and if the cultivation techniques are good, farmers can make very good profits in a normal season. I had a very good crop this time and the high prices ensured fantastic profits.”
Reddy said he has sold approximately 7,000 boxes of tomatoes, each weighing more than 25kg. He now intends to use drones to spray fertilizer on his paddy fields to use new techniques to reduce costs and increase yields.